The Death of A Hero
by Red Mage
Summary: A really sad and perhaps overdramatic story about Ashton who picked the wrong choice...


The Death of A Hero

**The Death of A Hero**

** **

Cloud of dust was sent to air as the group of four person walked in the interiors of Salva Cave. An aristocratic looking woman held in her hands a ball of fire, which gave a small light and reflected tall, fearsome shadows to the walls. Behind her, a young bluehaired girl walked next to blonde boy, holding his hand. At the rear of their group was probadly the most eye-cathing person in their group.

He was a young man, wearing midnight-blue robe and a black cloak. If the black headband hadn't were there where it was, an interesting small tattoo could have be seen in his forehead. The pair of short swords hung on his side, but they were sheated as no monsters were in the sight. But the most noticeable thing were the two dragons on his back: another crystal blue, another bright red. They looked around as the man walked forward.

Soon, the group reached a dead-end. Althought it had been some time, marks of battle could still be seen here. The two dragons started to move nervously in the young man's back.

Then, the blonde boy talked to the young man:

- All right, Ashton, he said, - now we are here.

- Yes, Ashton responded nervously. They were now here, at the place of battle, and the moment would begin. The moment he waited. The moment he had wished.

The moment he had dreaded.

Ashton took few steps forward and took a beautiful silver goblet from his backpack. The sapphires mounted on it mirrored his reflection, and the clear liquid inside it felt pure and sacred. The legendary Silver Goblet, and the Tears of the King.

- Ashton, the young bluehaired girl said, somehow sounding hopeful, - you can still turn back. You don't have to go through this. 

But Ashton shuddered his head.

- No, Rena, he said. - I'll continue.

Then he took a good grip from the goblet and readied himself. Then he began chanting the words he had carefully memorized.

- We shall now perform the ceremony of purification with my accursed body in front...

- AWROO! the red dragon shouted. Ashton startled and nearly dropped the goblet. 

_What am I doing? _he thought. __

- Gyoro! The aristocratic woman shouted. She sounded strict, but more than that, she sounded like afraid. The young boy put his hand on the woman's shoulder.

- Celine... he said. - Let it be. 

- But Claude... woman resisted.

- Ashton can do what he wants. Now, let's let him to continue.

Unfortunately, Claude didn't sound too sure of his word. That made Ashton feel even more uncomfortable.

_But I must continue... Or else I will be doomed for the rest of my life!_

Then he continued.

- Let my body receive the light of purity to drive the evil curse away...

- WARK! the blue dragon, Ururun, screeched and jerked so hardly that Ashton nearly fell.

- Ururun! Claude shouted, and the dragon stopped.

Ashton breathed heavily.

_They must be screaming in pain... Oh my god, what am I going to do? I'll have stop this! Gyoro and Ururun are suffering!_

Still, he continued. But now, his voice began to shake. He poured the 

- Oh god of purification, I pledge to thee and ask you to purify my accursed body with pure holy water...

This time both of the dragons screamed.

- AWROOO!

- WARK!

- Gyoro! Claude shouted, sounding desperate.

- Ururun! Celine shouted, sounding scared.

- Gyoro! Ururun! Rena shouted and tried to run and stop Ashton but Claude and Celine held her back. Rena's eyes were full of tears.

- Please, Ashton, she whispered, - please stop. Please.

Ashton was going inside himself a horrible struggle.

_Rena! I can't do this! Not to my friends... and not to Gyoro and Ururun! They are going to die! I must stop! _

Ashton's eyes were burning. He closed them, but they were still burning.__

- Free me from the curse, this horrible beast, Ashton said, - and...

_I must stop... My heart is burning... I...must...stop... I can't let them die... No... I.... must stop..._

- send it to the nothingness, he said weakly.

The dragons screamed their last howl and then disappeared with a flash of light.

- Gyoro and Ururuun! Rena shouted. Then she began to cry. Claude put his hand on her shoulder, but Ashton saw how Claudesecretly cried too. His eyes were full of tears.

Ashton fell on his knees.

- Oh my God... he said. He looked to the ground, fearing to look to his friends' faces. He was ashamed of himself, and he felt how Celine, althought she had bent her face down and few tears run on her cheeks, looked at Ashton, full of hatred, disbelief and frowning. Ashton just looked to the ground, scrathed the ground and felt how his eyes were burning.

- Let's go... everyone... Claude said suddenly, but there was no emotion in his voice. Rena and Celine followed him, without looking to Ashton. Rena still wept silently. Soon, Ashton slowly rose and followed them to their lair, all the way looking down.

Their lair was in the middle of the woods near Salva. There was a small meadow there, and a small stream ran next to it. The place would have been very beautiful, but now Ashton was full of sadness and hatred to himself. He cared next to nothing if woods had burned down. 

The others were already there at the time Ashton arrived. Claude, Rena and Celine talked to each other as usual, but Ashton sensed something was wrong. They talked silently, and the lair were almost packed. Ashton sat down, and they immediately quit talking.

For a while, they were all silent. Everybody looked to the ground. Then Ashton asked quietly:

- When are we going to leave?

Again, a moment of silence.

- We are leaving soon, Claude said, without any emotion in his voice. - We will go to Cross this night, all three.

_All three?_

Suddenly Ashton realized what Claude meant.

- W-What? he replied. - What do you mean?

Claude took his backpack, turned to him and said:

- You know very clearly what I mean.

Then he walked away.

- Come, Rena and Celine, he said.

Ashton rose up.

- You can't do this, he said his voice shaking. - You can't.

- We helped you to finish your exorcise quest, Celine said. - We have no need to travel with you any more.

Then she heaved a sigh.

- Ashton, all the time we thought that you would realize at the end what you were doing and stop it at the end. But you didn't do that. It seems that I have been wrong with you all the time.

Then she walked away and Rena rose up.

- Rena, Ashton said and walked towards her but she raise her hand refusing.

- No, Ashton.

- Rena, Ashton said, - I know what I have done. I... don't know why I did it. I tried to stop myself but I couldn't. But give another chance, let me travel with you...

Then Ashton sunk on his knees.

- Please... he almost whispered.

There was a moment of silence, as Rena looked begging Ashton. Then she said:

- Ashton... I always thought that you were a kind guy, who wouldn't hurt without reason. You were like a hero to me. 

Rena walked few steps away.

- But now... you have killed Gyoro and Ururun, and not only them. You have killed my believe in you, as Claude's and Celine's too. You are no more a hero to me. 

Then she turned again to Ashton, eyes full of tears.

- Go away, murderer, she said.

Then she ran away.

- Rena! Ashton shouted and reached his hand, but for vain.

- Renaaa!

He was alone.

For a long time, Ashton just was there, on his knees, looking to the ground. He couldn't believe what has happened. He was alone. Abandoned by his best friends.

- What have I done? he said. - I thought that my life would be much easier without the dragons. But now, his voice broke, - my friends left me here, all alone.

His eyes felt like they were burning. He took the Silver Goblet. Its beautiful sapphires mirrored his reflection. Ashton closed his eyes. He didn't want to see himself. Then he hit the goblet to the ground, trying to destroy it. But it didn't work. No such relics could be destroyed. He put it back to his backpack.

Ashton felt bad. Even worse than bad. He felt like the whole world had turned its back to him. He hated Xine, the giant bird who had given the Tears of the King. He hated Salva because it were the place where all had happened. He hated everything, but the most he hated himself.

Suddenly, he felt something. It was his pendant. He looked at it. It was his only memento of his parents. He remembered the day he had got it. It had been his tenth birthday, and his father had gave it to him.

- This is a lucky pendant. It will bring you fortune, he had said.

His mother had hugged him and said:

- This is a hero's pendant. We are sure that you will became a great hero.

Ashton looked at the pendant a while.

- A hero's pendant... 

Then he let it go.

- But I'm no hero. I killed my own friends, Gyoro and Ururun. I was abandoned by my friends. I am nothing.

He went down and tried to sleep.

Suddenly, he saw Gyoro and Ururun in front of him. He tried to talk, but he couldn't say anything. Then, the dragons howled and started to fade. He reached for them, but they were gone. 

Ashton woke up and shuddered the dream away. Then, he heard something. He looked around. He saw illusions of Rena, Claude and Celine. 

- Murderer, murderer, they whispered.

Ashton rose up.

- No, I-I didn't mean it.. he said. 

Then he heard in his mind how Gyoro and Ururun screamed last time. He heard voices calling him murderer. And last of all, he heard Rena saying:

- Go away, murderer. You are no hero.

Ashton ran. His vison was blurry, his lungs had reached their limit and his feet hurt, but he didn't stop. He heard how Gyoro and Ururun screamed their death scream. He heard how woods, animals and people called him murderer. He heard how Rena said:

- Go away, murderer. You are no hero. Go away...

Ashton ran. He ran many miles without any idea where he was. At last, near the Mountain Palace, he tripped and fell to the ground.

- I.. can't escape anymore...

Suddenly he yerked the pendant off his neck.

- A hero's pendant... But I am no hero. I am nothing. I... am.... nothing...

He felt how tears run on his cheeks.

Ashton cried. He cried and cried, even more than then when his parents had died. The crimson horizon turned black and the night came, but still he cried. The ground under him became wet of his tears, moon went up and the wind blew, sounding blue. Ashton didn't care if anyone saw that he cried.

_Why would it matter? My honor is forever gone anyway. But how could I do this? I am a murderer, as Rena had said..._

Then Ashton remembered Rena. Her beautiful smile, the forever happy look in her eyes. They were now gone. In her mind, Ashton saw Rena, eyes watering and full of hatred and sadness. 

- I am a murderer... he sobbed. - I even destroyed Rena's, my love's, feelings towards me.. She is with Claude. And I am alone...

Ashton cried until he could cry no more. Then, suddenly, he saw a shooting star.

- Shooting star... he said. - It should bring fortune. But what does it do to me? I don't have any fortune. I never had.

Then, he suddenly stood up. He ahd got an idea. He went to the entrance of the Mountain Palace. From there, he walked a bit far away. He looked to the horizon. He could escape to the continent of El or the continent of Lacour, but the voices in his head wouldn't probadly stop by that. And there was a chance that he could ran into Claude, Rena and Celine - a chance he didn't want to take.

Ashton stepped closer to the edge and looked down. He only saw darkness down there. If he would drop down there, there wouldn't be a chance that he would survive.

_That could be perfect._

Ashton put his feet on the nothingness, but quickly pulled it back. He was frightened.

_What was I going to do? Kill myself? That wouldn't probadly help, and even if it could help, I couldn't do it. I just can't drop down. I don't have guts for that._

He heaved a sigh and turned. Then, he walked away, but looked back. Suddenly he remembered his friends and his family again.

- Mom... Dad... Claude... Rena...and Celine... and Gyoro and Ururun too... I'm sorry, he said. - I wish I had done it other way. But what has been started, must be ended.

Then, Ashton run. His eyes were full of tears, but still he went straight. Straight to his destiny...

And he jumped.

Ashton felt how he fell down. He closed his eyes, and some tears rolled down. All the time, he thought of his family, his friends and Gyoro and Ururun...

_It has ended. My destiny as a hero and a murderer has ended._


End file.
